Zoe Lofgren: Republicans want to deport spouses of soldiers

San Jose Democrat Zoe Lofgren, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and a key player on immigration policy, on Friday accused House Republicans of moving backwards on immigration reform, despite a trial balloon by House leaders in January laying out the GOP “principles” of an immigration overhaul. These included a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers,” children brought illegally to the United States by their parents. Our Stewart Powell reported that the idea was probably scuttled by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., but the backtracking is making life hard for California Republicans in heavily Latino districts.

The House on a party line vote instead on Thursday passed legislation to require President Obama to enforce immigration laws, a reference partly to a 2011 administration memo urging immigration agents to use discretion classifying certain removal cases as a “low priority” for removal, and a 2012 executive order removing the deportation threat to Dreamers.

Lofgren said the GOP measure also would roll back a “parole-in-place” policy that allows the immediate family of U.S. military to avoid deportation. Lofgren said in 2010, as chair of Judiciary’s immigration panel, she sent a letter to then Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano, signed by nine Republicans and nine Democrats, that asked that the “parole-in-place” policy be applied to military families.

“Most people don’t believe it’s right to deport the wife of an American soldier in Afghanistan,” Lofgren said.